My Snow White Queen
by VisMorgana
Summary: Fire burns. Water heals. Water drowns. Fire warms. There are scars that only a soothing hand can heal, and there are fears only a strong arm can keep away. Everything is always blue....
1. Hands

((OOC: Alright so this may not be exactly matched with the episodes. I have seen most of them, but sadly I've missed one or two and I can't find anywhere that has the screenplays.

So I realize that the timing is off, and that some of the details may be fuzzy, please don't call me on that in the reviews.

This was inspired by "Snow White Queen" by Evanescence and the Youtube video I saw based off of it: Don't ask how, but it was.

Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own Avatar, Katara, Zuko, or the song "Snow White Queen" though I really wish I did. No, I own only this name Vismorgana and the sweatshirt I'm wearing. 0o Its blue and silver and fuzzy!! -happiness- Yay!

On with the fic!))

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That girl had been driving him mad.

He stared at his hands, folded upon his knees before him, studying the intricate lines and creases that so made up a thing such as hands. His mind spun, tracing with a thought-filled gaze the slight creations upon his palms, the gentle designs that could so easily create the person, separate them from every other soul in existence.

How strange that the thought touched his mind...but why was it that even his hands wielded flames, they left no burns? Was it because he was of the Fire Nation? Was his heritage enough to carry him forward with the hatred never scarring, with the anger willing to do his work? Could it be those hands of his never needed to suffer the wrath of the flames, simply because of his birth...?

Somehow, in some way it appeared resting in his hands, its soft blue ribbon draped over his tanned skin, the sapphire stone, so intricate in it's azure haze, so alluring in its gentle ocean calm pressed against the palm. Somehow he held her necklace, yet his mind could not recall pulling it from his bag, his eyes could not remember ever looking away from the lines etched on his skin.

Why fire? Why water? Why earth and air? Why her? Why him?

Fire burned. It ripped forth, sending blazes of burning heat, tearing in agony and wrenching with a demon-like life that shredded the body, reducing it to its finest particle. It soared through the sky, reaching up and striking the gentle blue sky, tearing into the free clear hope-filled space, and creating within a terror filled image, a nightmare that yanked a soul down to the ground, that dragged the soul to the Underworld below, where those eternal flames flooded in the eyes of the torturer, where laughter was rimmed with the burning hate powered by flames.

Water healed.

His uncle's sleeping form laid within the sleeping bag a short distance away and he raised his golden eyes, topaz glory reflecting the flames that never ceased within, always burning with those horrible feelings that so powered him forward. The gentle yet piercing eyes rested on the softly rising form and at the sight of the peaceful man, so easy to move past and escape form, a silent determination filled him.

He stood. Silently, mechanical motions, he took steps forward upon the soft earth, the ever-existent earth. Strange, oh so strange, how those Earth benders could so manipulate the very substance humans lived upon. Strange that with the slightest movement, the flick of the wrist, the shift of the foot and thrust of the arm, they could demolish mountains, create hills, even create jagged scars upon the perfected face of the lands..

Did they ever feel any pity for that which they bended? Did they ever look upon a formation of rocks they created and feel a pang in their heart, that alas it was by their hand that the ever-comforting lands were distorted and disfigured?

His steed made soft sounds as he mounted, yet with the slightest touch it quieted and the pair silently walked towards the trees, leaving their perfect little clearing. Headed towards nowhere, and yet with a goal in mind, the bags rustled at his sides, the few days worth of food prepared for him, and the rest left behind for his uncle.

Water healed..

Could it heal burn scars hidden behind the skin..?

_The eyes were piercing as he looked upon the tall man, staring up with pleading torment-filled eyes. The man's face was shadowed as he looked down on his own son, staring with a ruthlessness that caused Zuko's heart to tear in agony, caused him to flinch noticeably, caused him to sink to the ground, to his knees, to the hope lying in the dirt underneath him._

"_Father, please-" Was that his voice? How weak it sounded, how foolish, how childish, yet it escaped his lips into a pleading cry. Begging for mercy, begging for care, begging for the fire wrapping around his father's hand to disappear, for the hand to reach out to the teen and pick him up off the ground._

_Was this hate?_

"_You have dishonored me." The reply was cold, emotionless, yet the fire at the hand seemed to make up for it, swerving and curling and rising and stirring with a hatred and heat unmatched by anything Zuko had ever aid eyes upon._

_Was this anger?_

"_No, Father please..Please Father, I'm begging you.." The pleas were so childish, so painful that they caused Zuko to flinch once more, realizing the sound they would bear to his father. To this man with those black eyes..those careless black eyes._

"_Please.."_

_Was this war?_

_The man said nothing. Raising a hand, a steady finger pointed towards Zuko bared with the flames pleading to escape, begging to hurl forth and smite flesh. As golden eyes rested on that finger, he felt not a lick of fear or terror, not a single horrified feeling bled through his veins. No, instead was sped through him like a deadly virus for agony, a terrible mourning. _

_If only that hand would shake. If only that finger would tremble, and show that the father truly cared...show that this action was not done willingly, that if ached the Father's heart to see his son in pain._

_But Zuko saw nothing. Not a flicker, not a tremble, not even a pause. Simply flames flooding towards him. And it seemed that behind that steady finger, burning under those black eyes, was a smile._

_Was this fire?_

Fire burned. Fire killed. Fire left that scar upon his face.

And the only thing to ever truly heal a burn was simple...

_Blue.._

((Want to know where he's going? Want to see what happens? Then Review! No updates til I get at least 7 reviews. Thanks for reading this much though, people. I -heart- you. BTW,for every chapter there is an Evanescence song that could match perfectly. This Chapter "Away From Me"))


	2. Rain

((See? I promised I would update when I have seven reviews. So there. xP Anyways, hope you all enjoy it. Once again, it may be slightly off, but no flamers. Its meant to be fuzzy..you'll see..

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Avatar...

Onwards!))

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He was dreaming. He had to be. For there was no other way his footsteps could be so mechanical, so thoughtless. There was no way his surroundings could meld into a blur of nothingness, until he knew not if we walked through a town or a forest, or simply empty wasteland of his existence, nothing more.

One moment he was in the saddle, the packs swinging behind him silently as he rode. The next he was on foot, sometimes staring vacantly forward, other times with his eyes shut completely as he stumbled through the night.

He had a goal in mind. A face burning in his thoughts.

Somehow, in the same grasp the blue ribbon rested, there came to be a mask as well, pressed against his fingers. Painted blue with white markings, a sickening expression like a hateful grin with fangs bearing down..

How many had nightmares of such a mask? How many were terrified to close their eyes because they would see the mask? How many would close their eyes and against the shadows of their eyelids see dancing flames, and wake with terror?

The sun was in never-ending motion, always rising, always setting. The moon always followed, to a point where it seemed he watched it with his eyes, following its movements as it traced the sky, reaching for the horizon of its resting, longing to hide behind the earth before coming above once more..

The moon was so much more beautiful. Why did it seem that it waited, slowly making its way across, as if to shine it splendor over the people? As if it wanted to soothe them as much as posisble before sinking down once more?

Astonishing, that the moon could be in the shape of a simple fish...

He never knew when it started raining...

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Another night spent in a stable, resting against the straw as if it were a comforting bed. Her sleeping bag was pulled up to her shoulders, the fire's coals casting shadows against her dark gentle skin. Raven hair flowed over the pillow, the soft locks draping over her closed eyes.

It was raining.

There were gaps in the roof of the stable, and raindrops seemed to find their way through, dropping to splatter them each in turn, as if laughing and bidding them to awaken and to greet the moonlight. As if begging them to stand and look, to set their eyes upon the strange traveler approaching the stable with a blue mask in hand.

It was cold, to a point that for once the feel of the raindrops upon her cheeks was like an icy blow..like a cold hand... And so her dreams seemed to drift..

_There was a warm fire before her and she smiled softly, the sight causing her blue eyes to shine brightly, reflecting the warmth. She reached out and cupped it in her fingers, holding it to her clothing to dry it, before looking down upon it with a light laugh, letting it dance over her hand and create designs for her. The blaze was so calm and so caring, protective of her, wanting only to keep her warm, keep her out of the cold nights.._

_Suddenly it changed._

_The blaze grew, grew larger and larger until it engulfed her arm, causing her to drop it in terror. The flames grew, reaching up and circling her, causing sweat to pour down her face and for her to tremble._

"_No.." she murmured softly, her voice coming as a pant as she tried to back away. The air was dry, not a bit of water existing, and her canteen was empty. The water wouldn't move, and she found herself falling to her knees. Blue fabric was ripped by the twigs on the ground, her sleeves alight._

"_No.." she said, a bit louder-her voice cracking._

"_Katara!"_

"_No..." Her hands went instantly to her head, clasping over her ears as if in a silent plea. "No.. Please no.." She knew what was to come..she knew of that sound, the sound so melodious, so beautiful, yet so painful._

_Her mother._

_She looked upwards, sapphire eyes landing upon the burning figure of the woman she loved._

"_No!"_

_A hand reached towards Katara, a burning hand, and a pair of loving eyes pleaded with the girl to help her, to reach out and take the hand. Katara's hand reached out as well, and for a moment the burning flesh brushed against her own skin, scalding, and it caused Katara to yank it back._

"_Please...no more.." she whispered, tears pouring down her cheeks. "No more..."_

A raindrop fell onto her brow and her eyes opened, the dark-skinned girl sitting up instantly, Her hair fell over her shoulder as she looked around, her hand burning and tingling with an odd sensation. She looked down at it, grateful to see that it wasn't burning, yet astonished to realize that there were tears in her eyes.

Someone had touched her hand.

She turned, looking to the stable door, seeing the large wooden door swing shut with a silent click.

"Aang," she whispered, wiping her eyes. Standing instantly, a hand went mechanically to the neck, where still even without the necklace there she had the habit of seeking for strength. Without looking back, she moved forward to the door, opening it with curiosity momentarily shoving away the terror of the dream.

Perhaps it had been the daughter of the household whose stable they stayed in. Perhaps it had been an interested villager. Yet whoever it was...Katara felt driven by a desperate need.

Who's hand could have touched hers, and felt so much as if it were on fire?

"Wait," she said softly, then more loudly, seeing a disappearing back enter a grove of trees leading into the woods. Soft moonlight cascaded down on her shoulders, melting into the ground and giving her slight reassurance as she moved, making her way as if winding through the icy raindrops.

Aang was not following her, nor was her brother. That she knew. Her whisper had most likely never been heard, maybe it had never truly been spoken. For the dream world and reality were so closely mixed, for a moment she wondered if this movement, these running steps were but a part of her dream as well.

"Wait!" she said, her voice a little louder, yet still bearing that hint of pain from the dream. Still bearing that meek fear, that timid sorrow. That guilt...

There was no response, she saw the figure as but a shadow ahead, making its way nimbly through the trees as if they were nothing, tearing through the leaves silently like they were but air to glide through.

"Please.." she heard herself murmur. Yet in that moment, she was uncertain if it was her own voice that spoke it. "Please wait..."

The person's hand...had been so warm..so comforting...

It terrified her.

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He didn't know when it started raining, but once it did he barely noticed. At first when he laid eyes upon the stable it was mechanical, his mind telling him to go there to seek shelter, yet his soul begging for him to continue, to walk forward once more. The chill was strong, the raindrops falling onto him to cause his hair to stick to his skin, cause his clothing to seem heavy...

To cause his scar to stop its endless pulsing..

It was icy. It was cold. But it was home.

As his hands moved towards the door and gently opened it they seemed to be pulling him forward. As his eyes rested on the dim light the coals of the fire cast out, they widened gently, the gold reflecting astonishment. For they went instantly from a pair of boys, as if not even seeing them, to a girl...no...to a beam of moonlight in the form of a goddess..to a winding river of raindrops and water...to an exquisite beauty no words could describe...

All control he had so gained over his flames vanished, suddenly there was a passion within him, an urging that caused him to move forward silently.

A shaking hand reached out, opposing that which still tightly grasped a blue mask and a blue necklace. For gently that hand, so warm and hot as it was, so marked and disfigured with deaths etched upon it, gently brushed her own, the fingertips as light and as nonexistent as a feather on her skin.

She felt so warm, yet so cool, a rush of lukewarm water flooding through him and causing him to shiver. The hand rested, the fingertips coming into solid touch with her beautiful skin, simply resting there with no other actions taken. For his golden eyes simply rested on her, and he found his head bowing slightly.

She moved. Stirred. "Please...No more... no more.." she murmured, and tears began to stream down her cheeks as she turned her head away, pulling her hand towards her and flinching noticeably.

Terror wracked through him, horror and hurt as he stood swiftly. Why had she spoken such words? A nightmare? A dream? Or was it because she felt him there, and she hated his existence that she pleaded for him to leave?

The mask was on.

Once more that blue mask, that haunting design that so gave him another identity, was upon his face, hiding it from view. Such a mechanical gesture, the mask was the face he donned as a merciless fighter, not a Fire bender. Blue Spirit.

Why blue?

Why, oh damn it all, why did the mask have to be blue?

He ran. And ringing in his head was the sight of her eyes...her closed eyes with the tears flooding down her cheeks..with her hand yanking from his touch and with her body convulsing in a flinch.

Why was he such a fool? Why did this mindless wandering exist? Why did he set forth from the camp to walk as if lost in a dream? Why, even now did it feel as if he was not real, as if those running footsteps towards his steed and his packs weren't real? Why did it seem he could hear her voice behind him?

_Blue...why was it always blue..._

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((You like? You like? Oh come on, you know you want to know what happens next. xP How many reviews this time? 10! at least.. Hehe...I love you all...! I swear I do!

What song could this match? How about..oh god I dunno... I was actually listening to Mat Kearney's "Nothing Left to Lose" but I think this episode could closely match "Taking Over Me" by Evanescence. That's random..))


	3. Shackles to the Heart

OOC: Hallo! I'm sorry it took so long...obviously I started two new fics, Dragonfire and Sapphires and Rubies: Marry Me. They're all progressing..but I completely lost my muse for this story, so I attempted to update even without it. x-x It may be horrible..if the writing style is different, please don't eat me like many fanfiction peeps do. XD 

Disclaimer: Don't own Evanesence or Avatar. (I wish I owned Zuko. He's amazing!)

And muse songs for this chapter are...: Missing, by Evanesence, Your Gaurdian Angel by RJA, and The Adventure by Angels and Airways.

Shoutout to RunsWithScissors :) Why? Because!! xD Anyways, I may not be updating for awhile, because RWS and I have finals next week. (I'm actually updating instead of studying like I should be, so getting grounded from the internet is possible. x-x ) Ah well..you viewers are worth it! So please review if you read and like!

On with the fic and more sexy-Zukoness/Adorable Zutaraness! XD

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That which can drown us can lift us up, drift us above the undercurrent, and slowly take us to shore..

_I will dance with you on the day's dawn. We will smile and laugh and embrace as we spin over the ocean, a lit with the rising sun. For two moments we are combined, sunset and sunrise. Two moments the fire of the sun will melt into the cool blue waters. Two moments._

_Dance with me, I want them to last forever._

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She was right behind him, he glanced back and saw here there- her form slightly shadowed by the icy rain that so heavily fell. Turning back, his face sheilded by the Blue Spirit mask, he felt a wave of emotions overcome him, terror being only the peak. Terror, that she would catch him and rip from his face that mask and look upon his true identity. Guilt...anger...torment..inner torment...

Terror...

That she could cause that emotion within him, cause it to flood like a hurricane, bleed in his soul like a never-ending wound..

His steps were slowing. It was this rain, the way it struck his skin with cruel, hateful blows.. Of course, the Waterbender would be fine, she must feel as though the weather was in her favor..

Was this what fear felt like? Tasted like? Bleeding into his mouth like hoarse breaths as he yanked them in, forcing his feet onwards. He ran a lot, he moved a lot, yet now each step was painful, like this girl, this Katara had chained him to her, making his body freeze when he wanted to flee, making his heart long to stop and turn and face her and sweep her into an embrace..

No..that couldn't happen..it could never happen.. They were as different as sun and moon, night and day..and those two were never together at once.. It just couldn't ever happen..

Why should he ever believe that it could?

But he did...he truly, truly did.. He wanted to place the necklace about her neck, her wanted to see into those eyes and have her touch his scar, he wanted to feel her resting in his arms.. She wanted her to waterbend upon him..to feel the smooth water upon his body..

Who was he fooling.. Fire and water would never amount to anything...But did he want it to amount to something? Why..why couldn't he just touch her cheek again..? Why couldn't he just see her eyes one more time? Did he truly, truly have to live for the future? As Prince? Couldn't he just steal away that single moment...?

He paused. He couldn't see the Waterbender any more... He must have run more quickly than he believed.. She was gone. Part of his heart calmed, relaxed that he could return back to his uncle in peace.. The other part of him clenched.. He had missed his chance.

He turned, blinking once and narrowing his eyes from behind the mask. There was another near...another person. He could practically feel their body heat in contrast against the icy rain- and faintly he could make out a silhouette in the shadows. One hand went instinctively to the sword on his back and a gloved hand gripped the handle, the eyes narrowed and glaring intently.

"Who are you..?" he murmured softly.. Or did he truly speak? Was it just in his mind, for certainly it had to be light enough to hardly cause a sound in response.. There was no gentle echo as he could expect in a forest, there was no one stepping forward to speak.. Perhaps his mouth had never moved..

"There...you...are..."

Zuko turned, the slits for eyes falling upon another sight. Wave after wave of relief hit him, yet underneath burnt a torrent of terror.

It was her.

The rain fell over her face, causing her dark hair to stick to the dark skin... She was so much like the night, did she know that? Her skin was dark, yet in its own strange way it was pale, as if like moonlight. It bore a soft remnant of being weary, being pained and being sick.. But that had to be from her being outdoors. Yet her eyes..half-closed, they reflected the pain her heavy breaths spelled out for him. She had caught up to him.. But she was in pain.

He stepped forward, for a moment wanting to reach out and steady her, keep her from falling.. But he froze, pausing and simply staring..

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The rain was cold.

Even for a Waterbender who had been born and raised on an icy cap, each rain drop was a searing scar-leaving blow. It singed at her body, burning her cheeks in a strange flame-like way, scorching her skin like a dragon of ice.

"Mother.."

She panted weakly, pausing in the hopes of regaining energy and breath, in the hopes of her legs finding their own strength and her moving forward once more.

Why was it she felt the woman in front of her? She felt her mother as if the woman's arms were circled around Katara once more, warming her when the young child was ill. She could see her mother's smile, she could smell the soft rain upon her mother's clothing..

She almost fell forward. The ground was spinning around her, causing the icy to dance maniacally in circles about her. She reached out to grab a tree, hunched over as she attempted to regain breath, regain control over this spinning, mocking world...

She looked up, seeing the back of the strange figure as they disappeared.. Why were they wearing such dark colors? They had to be a Waterbender.. Airbenders, Earthbenders and Firebenders all wore warmer colors. It had to be her mother, it just had to be.

There was a delirious tone to her thoughts, yet Katara could hardly register them. She made her way forward again, stumbling once but shoving herself forward. It was her mother..it was her mother..

She caught up to the person and panted, speaking words she could hardly make sense of hoping the figure would make more out of them than her. A jolt of reality hit her like a slap in the face.

It wasn't her mother.

Standing there was a masked person, a blue and white mask hiding the face. There were swords on their back...they were wearing black clothing..

She bit her lip, feeling that overwhelming delirium cause a tear to fall down her cheek. It had been so close.. She had felt her mother there..she had..

But her mother's necklace.

In the person's hand there was her mother's necklace.

"...necklace.." She blinked sluggishly for a long moment...uncertain, and feeling like her legs would collapse at any moment.

"Give it back!" With a sudden strength that lit up her eyes for a moment in a silver-colored gleam, reflecting the moon it appeared, she swept a beam of water from the container at her waist towards him.

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He dodged the water easily, tightening his grip on the blue choker.. Of course.. She must have felt the necklace in his hand and remembered it.. She had followed him because she wanted it back. That had to be it. There could be no other reason why she followed him.

He stopped, close to the ground, poised like a cat, staring at her. Standing up, he put his hands up in an innocent posture.. He didn't want to fight her. He didn't want to hurt her.. If giving her this necklace would make her happy..

He leaned forward, setting the necklace on the ground with his hands up in a surrendering position. Silent still, his heart thumped wildly, he was certain the Waterbender could hear it. Each action was forced against the rain, trembling slightly with a strange sort of weariness.

Something snapped. He heard a branch crack, and could hear the quiet touch of fabrics rushing against each other.

Natural reflexes kicked in. Jumping forward, before the Waterbender could blink, the Blue Spirit was on top of her, pressing her against the ground as knives and blades whizzed over their heads, striking the tree above. The Waterbender looked up at the masked man and for a moment eyes widened, before they slowly closed with a soft sigh.

It was when he was this close, that he could feel her. Feel that warmth of her skin as his hand was pressed against her arm, his other hand wrapped around her back to shield her from the hard ground. The soft fabric of her clothing was thick, but not enough to feel the smooth gentleness of her waist, the thin arm well-toned for a water-bender.. He had only touched that arm twice before.

She flinched naturally in her sleep, yet fell unconscious. How could the rain hurt her like this? Wasn't she a Waterbender?

"Blue Spirit."

The Blue Spirit looked, turning to see three figures emerge from the shadows. His hand pulled out a blade, but before he could bare it, a sharp pain swept through him due to a series of sharp jabs.. He found himself falling..falling into a numb emptiness..staring as the mask upon his face clattered to the ground beside him..

His eyes landed on her. Nothing else mattered..he was gazing upon his sleeping beauty..nothing else mattered...

_The world burns around me_

_But I see blue..only blue.._

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((AWW! XD Song for this one?: I'm not sure.. but for some reason I'm sort of thinking a long the lines of 'Whisper'. ))


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